Over the weekend, my daughter and I had a mission: learn to ride her bicycle "like a big girl" without training wheels. It's a big day in every child's life. I remember the day I learned as clearly as if it were yesterday.
There's a giant parking lot at the nearby courthouse where most of the neighborhood children make that leap from terror to triumph. And that's where we needed to go, but we needed to get her bicycle there--in the trunk of the Kizashi. Would it fit?
Of course it did. Not that the Kizashi has a particularly voluminous trunk, but it is tall from floor to the underside of the lid which helps.
It also helped that the bike in question is teeny. That shot below is a bit deceiving, however, as the driveway slopes down and makes the "Mystic" look even smaller than it is.
Mission Accomplished! And there were no falls, bumps or bruises.
Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor @ 18,855 miles
felonious_monk says:
08:19 AM, 02/17/11
Congrats to you and your daughter! There's nothing like that feeling of losing the "chicken wheels". That's a right of passage that can't be underestimated: it's the first taste of freedom we all get and it's second only to gaining your driver's license.
BTW, tell her, "Sweet ride!" My first ticket to ride was a Huffy Pro Thunder. I'll always remember that department store cheapie with an out-sized reverence.
ed124c says:
08:32 AM, 02/17/11
I never thought training wheels were the best way to go-- the kids seem to drive around for months, listing to the left or right side. The best way is to have a parent or older child take the time to guide the learner by steadying the bike from the rear. This results in success after a very short period of time, say, a week.
Unfortunately, parents don't seem to have the time these days, and older siblings are too busy playing war games on their computers.
Even after almost 60 years I still vividly remember that glorious first solo ride down to the end of the street. I even managed to turn around and pedal back up the hill without falling off. What a feeling.
fuel_on_fire85 says:
08:48 AM, 02/17/11
Good for your daughter.
I think training wheels should be on the way out though.
If you get your kiddo one of those no pedal european bikes than you will no longer need training wheels. This is a porsche design push along bike like I'm referring. You can also find them much cheaper: http://shop1.porsche.com/germany/kids/toys/wap0403000b/ The bike teaches them to balance at an incredibly early age. My nephew was riding a bike sans training wheels by his third birthday. I'm not making that up. These European bikes are great trainers.
wjtinatl says:
09:08 AM, 02/17/11
Taking the trainer's off my 3 year old twin's bikes was more fun for me than them! A gently sloping grassy hill had them two-wheeling in about 30 minutes and made me a proud dad indeed. Seeing the smile on their faces as they learned how a bike really rides was priceless. Can't wait to teach them how to drive a stick!
exnevadan says:
09:25 AM, 02/17/11
pushed/chased/steadied all three of my spawn for a few days in an effort to free them of their training wheels. I felt as much joy when each of them accomplished the feat as when I did, maybe more (like hearing your kid read for the first time, another moment I'll never forget).
my experience was on a junked bike with two flat tires that someone abandoned at our apartment complex. pretty easy to learn on flat tires since you're on the wide/solid rims, though I didn't go to that extreme with my kids.
mckman says:
09:28 AM, 02/17/11
@fuel_on_fire85 The push bike is a great idea. Separates learning how to pedal from learning how to balance and your feet can be used as the "training wheels". I bet kids learn a lot faster that way.
noburgers says:
09:45 AM, 02/17/11
I thought you asked "Will it blend?"
http://www.willitblend.com/videos.aspx?type=unsafe&video=kenblock
throwback says:
10:02 AM, 02/17/11
One of the great joys of parenthood. She will always remember it was Dad who was there with her.
autoboy1 says:
10:03 AM, 02/17/11
The Europeans have us on this one. The pedal-less training bikes are a much better way to go rather than training wheels which don't teach balance, just how to pedal.
As fuel on fire says: http://shop1.porsche.com/germany/kids/toys/wap0403000b/
bankerdanny says:
10:05 AM, 02/17/11
You are right, the day you first ride on your own really does stick in your head.
40 years later I can still remember my dad giving me a push down the sidewalk (on my gold Royce Union my dad had bought and fixed up for me) and the couple of crashes in the grass (no helmet or knee pads back then) before the incredible feel of moving forward steadily under my own power.
northsparrow says:
11:21 AM, 02/17/11
My Royce Union was blue and white and come to think of it, it would have been about 40-41 years ago
when its training wheels came off as well.
As for the Kizashi, I'll wait for the wagon or hatch version so bike-carrying ability won't be a mystery at all.
powell_jr says:
07:02 PM, 02/17/11
I agree with Fuel:
The pedal less bikes work great.
chugabug says:
10:57 PM, 02/17/11
This is why I love Edmunds long-term road tests. Real world, practical testing on the type of stuff you don't get to try when you're in the showroom. It may seem boring, but when you're about to fork over hard earned cash these type of things you need to know
mfennell says:
11:00 AM, 02/18/11
Heh. My daughter's push bike arrived at her 1st birthday. She occasionally paddles around the house with it but has not really coasted feet up yet. She's at 21 months.
I have seen 2 year olds riding normal bikes after a few months with a push bike.